The greatest catcher ever!

Mott the Hoople

Mott the Hoople

Sweet Jane

Note how he blocks home plate. I wish this vid did a better job of showing good he was at managing base runners and putting out base stealers. The one that they show was just to easy for Bench. If someone got a good jump on him he'd throw from a crouch and still put them out. Bench also took a mediocre pitching staff and made them perform!
 
I can't think of any catcher who would even come close to Bench's gift for the game. He was the best.

I agree with the ban from baseball, but they should let him in the HoF.
 
Last year on Sunday night baseball, there was a play where the batter hit a dud that rolled a foot past the plate. The catcher had to move towards pitchers mound to have a clear throw.

Joe Morgan (Bench's teammate and hall of fame 2nd baseman) told Jon Miller the batter/runner was traveling inside the baseline and if the catcher had hit him the runner would have been out. He said Bench would not have moved to make that throw and would have nailed the runner in the back. Jon Miller asked:'how can you be sure the umpire would see he was inside the baseline'?

Morgan dryly quipped: 'all he would have to do is see where he is laying.'

I laughed for days and I am laughing all over again.
 
WinterBorn said:
Oh, my bad.

What about Ivan whathisname? He was a pretty killer catcher too.
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Ivan Rodriguez was an awesome catcher for the Rangers. I dunno how many All-Star Games he led AL pitchers through, but I always knew I-Rod (or Pudge, as they called) would contribute to the AL team. He was a power hitter and the best of his era at gunning down runners.
 
WinterBorn said:
Oh, my bad.

What about Ivan whathisname? He was a pretty killer catcher too.
Click to expand...

Pudge Rodriquez? Hell yea, he's good. He's certainly the best deffensive catcher since Bench and probably the best catcher over all since Bench......but here's where Bench had Pudge beat. He was better at blocking the plate. Did you see in the vid how guys going for home just bounced off of him?
 
Mott the Hoople said:
Pudge Rodriquez? Hell yea, he's good. He's certainly the best deffensive catcher since Bench and probably the best catcher over all since Bench......but here's where Bench had Pudge beat. He was better at blocking the plate. Did you see in the vid how guys going for home just bounced off of him?
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Pudge can also do a trick that Bench made famous. His arm is strong enough that he can throw guys out at second without coming out of his crouch. Bench would also throw out of the crouch and behind the runner at first base for a pick. I haven't seen Pudge do that.....but I bet he can.
 
I can't think of anyone who had his combination of defensive/offensive skills. There are a hand full that were in his league offensively.....but not many.....The only one that was significantly better at the plate was Josh Gibson (before my time) and no one was better behind the plase but that's a bogus way of measuring the value of a Catcher. The Catcher is the teams field general and in terms of managing and controlling a game, Yogi Bera was as good as Bench....but Berra was before my time. Berra, Fisk, Piazza and Pudge all played the position longer then Bench but Bench had a 10 year period from 68 to 77 that was just unfreaken believable but after that his knees and hip joints went bad and he was only able to play behind the plate for a few more years but during his peak years....he was untouchable. If Pete Rose was the heart and soul of the Big Red Machine JB was their General.
 
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